FreeFall Brazil Here I am in Rio de Janeiro.. My Rio de Janeiro. My birth place. My Brazilian womb. This is the place I opened my eyes for the first time in this world. This is the air I first took breath. And here I am to facilitate FreeFall 1. The first FreeFall class in Brazil, ever. I am ecstatic. I am trembling. I am so proud to be a Brazilian but now, some doubts… Am I still a Brazilian? I feel trapped in this American language and enculturation – the heaviness of both nationalities: American or Brazilian? I feel the weight of all the programming in my life – childhood, teens, adulthood. I fear, maybe, I would not be able to connect with students from my heart… this time. My little girl remembered all the times her sexuality/sensuality was denied and violated. I started to questioning: “Why am I doing this?” Well, that’s FreeFall being. FreeFall happens. Whether you would like it or not. Because that’s the magic of the heart’s light – it shines. That’s the force of our sex – it heats. And then, I started to receive little texts in my phone: “I feel fried”. “I have diarrhea!” “I am crying, do not know why” “I am not sure that’s for me” Yes, our defensive mindset is ancient… It can come in a whole package of an ancient survival album – with self-justification prizes and revenges coupons. It can come with sentiments of self-pity and victimization bonus. It can come highlighting our stories – the ones we defend so fiercely and protect so dearly. And yes, it can feel heavy – and tight and constricted – like a prison. Or it can feel loose and raw – like an open wound. Or both. At the same time. The electricity inside, the light – vibrates – and shakes our walls, our masks, our truths. Friday night starts. Feeling the group. Feeling myself. We become one. It is one fear. It is one light. It is one breath. And then Grace happens. In every moment. It flows through our spine and lightens up our eyes. It shakes our pelvis and our worlds and we hold each other. In every ritual we practice our sensuality. In every ritual we resonate in sexuality. In every ritual we re-discover, we re-align, we re-new – together. And we love… Even when we are not paying attention, we love. We do not only talk about love – we practice! We do not only talk about sexuality – we are! And each ritual we re-discover that love is a necessity...

…an invitation for heart opening. Jun 19, 2015 By Myriam Machado Baker Off with your head! …an invitation for heart opening. I will introduce you to the Goddess Without a Head: Chinnamasta. She is one of the hundreds of goddess from the Eastern Philosophy where – like any other myth – the characters are always reflecting aspects of our own psyche. We all have some qualities of Chinnamasta in us. If you Google Chinnamasta you will find many classical interpretations like this: “Chhinnamasta, the headless goddess, is the Great Cosmic Power who helps the sincere and devoted yogi to dissolve his or her mind, including all the preconceived ideas, attachments and habits into the Pure Divine Consciousness. Cutting off the head suggests the separation of the mind from the body, that is the freedom of the consciousness from the material confines of the physical body.” But I believe our headless goddess is a lot smarter than that. Chinnamasta stands for the most radical of radical affirmation. She affirms herself so deeply that she is no longer willing to listen to her own inner voices of doubt, fear or unworthiness.* And that’s why we can relate our headless goddess with our inevitable Big Heart Opening process. Just like her, when we open our hearts, we are no longer willing to play small. The Heart Opening comes with the longing to imbibe a direct experience of our own power. We are happy to cut off our own head because such a sensational act no longer frightens, instead it empowers our desire to experience the whole of our Self. And the Whole of ourselves is on the authenticity of being just what we are, following and affirming the desires of our own Heart! This Heart that is the most powerful force we can access within ourselves. In the ancient scripture of the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna teaches Arjuna that when you have an open heart – nothing can hurt you! When you have an open heart, you experience all the pure qualities of your soul: acceptance, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, love, courage, wisdom, joy, etc… In the Bible we hear about Heart’s Intellectual/Spiritual functions: The heart thinks! (Matt 9:4; Mark 2:8), remembers, reflects and meditates (Psalm 77:5-6; Luke 2:19). More specifically, as the eyes were meant to see and the ears to hear, the heart is meant to understand, do discern, to give insight. Advaita Vedanta philosophy teaches that the Supreme Reality (Consciousness) exists as the ultimate essence of one’s being. It is called “atman,” the Supreme Self. And in our body would be located on the Right Atrium on the physical heart. The Chandogya Upanishad explains that: “the “Self” within the heart is Brahma...

I love this heading. This is the core stuff of what FreeFall is all about. Let me emphasize the science and state of the art techniques we use in FreeFall and why. In BodyTalk and The Life Sciences, we realize that the constrictions in your body are really a defense against feeling and releasing a variety of different feelings. The immobility of your body stems from deep-seated suppression of such expression and the resulting formation of emotional neuropeptides creates attachment to tissues and drastically impedes their function. Dr. Candice Pert discovered the receptor structure on the surface of a cell that allows it to admit outside substances, such as nutrients and hormones. Malfunctions in the operation of cell receptors can cause disease. Dr. Pert explains that neuropeptides and their receptors are the biochemicals of emotions, carrying information in a vast network linking the material world of molecules with the non-material world of the psyche. These are all over, not just the brain but different parts of the body, including the heart and the vessels around the heart. [Candace Pert-Molecules of Emotion] The musculature of the heart and the connective tissue that is taking on neuropeptides (energy that’s being produced from strong emotions), holds them in a very strong inhibitory vortex, or “false heart’. FreeFall uses a, state of the art practice of Advanced Bioenergetics – BodyGenics, to really mobilize the neuropeptides and catalyze our wiring and get it going. In our work, we directly address the structural integrity of the cells and observe the collective contributions that the neuropeptides are communicating to our nervous system. With this technique, our awareness can release the neuropeptides from the cells, and let go. Neuropeptides only stay alive when they’re attached to cells. Now the lymphatic system will take them away, send them out through the kidneys. By clearing that away, it enables the heart-brain to function normally, keeping harmony in the body. Not only in the physiological functions, but also in the psychological and emotional functions including all the factors of being able to relate to yourself and all the people around you. As the repressed natural emotions emerge, the FreeFall participant often begins to realize that these patterns inhibit their capacity for spontaneity and creativity in self-expression. They begin to understand that as these defenses became chronic, so have the muscular patterns in their body. These defenses affect their emotional well-being by decreasing energy level and restricting the capacity for genuine self- expression in relationships; they are not free enough in their body to feel joy, happiness, love, sadness, fear, sensuality and anger. When heart, mind and emotions are in energetic alignment and cooperation, there is harmony, emotional stability and optimal...

1. Understand your own body “How the cells know what to do, where to go, and why do they do it in the first place? For the purpose to work with individual people, The BodyTalk System uses the term: “Innate Wisdom”. This innate wisdom contains the information and intelligence necessary for the functioning of our bodies. As such, he Innate Wisdom influences the exploration of health and growth in our lives.” 2. Take up yoga. There’s a reason so many yogis are calmer and healthier people. Practicing yoga, much like receiving a BodyTalk session, helps draw energy out of your restless mind and into your heart complex and your body. It heightens awareness such that you become more attuned to the clues your body gives about what’s ailing you and how you can heal yourself. The two disciplines have a lot in common, in their intentions and outcomes. Actually BodyTalk has a strong base in the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. A shared sensibility pervades BodyTalk and yoga, attracting people who are curious about the intersection of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. More practically speaking, yoga stretches and activates connective tissue, capillaries, veins, meridians and chakras throughout the body, which helps regulate the flow of many levels of communication. We have also heard about so many benefits of meditation… 3. … and meditation. Though meditation is usually recognized as a largely spiritual practice, it also has many health benefits. The yoga and meditation techniques are being implemented in management of life threatening diseases; in transformation of molecular and genetic structure; in reversal of mental illnesses, in accelerated learning programs, in perceptions and communications beyond the physical, in solving problems and atomic and nuclear physics; in gaining better ecological understanding; in management of lifestyle and future world problems. Some benefits of meditation are: It lowers oxygen consumption. It decreases respiratory rate. It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate. Increases exercise tolerance in heart patients. Leads to a deeper level of relaxation. Good for people with high blood pressure as it brings the B.P. to normal. Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate. Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches. Builds self-confidence. It increases serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches. Helps in chronic diseases like allergies , arthritis etc. Reduces Pre- menstrual Syndrome. Helps in post-operative healing. Enhances the immune system. Research has revealed that meditation increases activity of ‘natural-killer cells’, which kill bacteria and cancer cells. Also reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress. 4. Stop blaming people. “A foundational concept in acupuncture and in BodyTalk is the Yin-Yang theory. An oversimplification of Yin-Yang theory is that...

Science is slowly shedding light on what is now being called the Microbiome: the 100 trillion microbes that live on and within us. And contrary to popular opinion, it seems these microbes don’t threaten us but instead, offer vital help with our basic physiological processes. As new data is being collected, we now know that our Body’s ecosystem includes several delicate and complex symbiotic relationships with over a 100 trillion microbes. Recent research suggests that this small universe of microbes consists of what is called commensals (harmless freeloaders), mutualists (favor traders), and only in the tiniest amount, pathogens. It appears that this microbial community does far more good than harm and the ‘services rendered’ are proving to be somewhat remarkable and shocking. This microbial ecosystem also referred to as the microbiome is essential to maintaining the complex coordination of health and homeostasis in the body. As we dive deeper, we are afforded a more expansive view of what health really means. Take our mood for example, the ‘source’ of one’s mood has long been a mystery to science. Why are some people more uptight than others? Why do we feel grumpy and low sometimes? Although it would be nice if we could blame our foul mood on our partner’s shortcomings, recent discoveries suggest otherwise (1). Our gut bacteria play key roles in the manufacturing of some neurotransmitters such as serotonin (contributes to feelings of well-being and happiness), some enzymes, vitamins, and some signaling molecules that influence the immune and metabolic systems. Some of which play a role in regulating stress levels and, surprisingly enough, even temperament. When the microbes from easy-going, adventurous mice were transplanted into the guts of anxious, timid mice, they became more adventurous (1). Who knew the tiny critters that take up shelter in our gut are the answer to our mood. The last few years have seen a major paradigm shift in our understanding of the role of microbes in our health. This change is akin to the shock when watching the last few minutes of a movie, when it hits you that the villain is really the good guy, and the protagonist you have been rooting for is the evil schemer. From the time we were infants, we were warned about the dangers of “germs”, things that would make us sick. We may have been vaccinated to protect us against terrible viruses. We may have suffered with colds and flus caused by these germs. We may have grown up with antibacterial wipes and other products to scrub our homes clean from these invisible but deadly bugs. We may have learned in school about even deadlier diseases of the past – the bubonic plague in the...